I don’t love spending money. I mean, I DO, but I always feel a little guilty afterward. Especially when I consider how those funds could have impacted other people. College fund for the kid. Charity donations. Gifts for friends. All of these alternative expenditure options weigh heavily on my mind. Because I’m the only person in my home who *really cares* about how our walls and horizontal surfaces are adorned, home decor purchases can feel very selfish. No one wants to feel selfish. So I try very hard to spend as little as possible while also making our home feel cozy and beautiful for all of us. I online shop a lot. I price compare. I wait for sales. These are all great methods for saving money, but my favorite trick is to buy second-hand from yard sales, craigslist, and thrift stores. 

This is the point where your brain is going “Sure. I’ll buy furniture at thrift stores, but I would never buy bed linens” and I get that. My brain does the same thing. But… why? One of the highest selling items on eBay and Facebook Marketplace is Pottery Barn bedding. So, if we’re willing to buy these used items online, why aren’t we also searching thrift stores for the same things? Often, we can score much better deals on textiles at thrift stores because they aren’t high selling items, due to our preconceptions. This stems from the subconscious knowledge that those items were donated to the thrift store, thus rendering them valueless. As in If the previous owner didn’t feel there was any remaining value in the item for their own resale, there must be no remaining value. BUT THAT’S INSANE. I donate very nice, used items to thrift stores all the time. Why? Not because I don’t find value in them, but because I value my own time and space in my home more than the potential gains. So let’s just get that out of our heads. Items at thrift stores are not junk. They are not valueless. And if you’re worried about cooties, I know of a simple trick for cleaning almost all textiles – A WASHING MASCHINE. 

Need more convincing? Okay. Here are two guest room updates I recently achieved in a single afternoon for just $25 INCLUDING THE HEADBOARD AND BEDSIDE TABLE.

Update No. 1 – Local Thrift Store Half-Priced Day Bargains
Headboard – $15 – Craigslist (originally brass, spray painted black using spray paint I already owned)
Bedside Table – $10 for two, so $5 – Craigslist
Frame / Nashville Postcards – $1 – Local Thrift Store (postcards were already owned, just slipped them into this frame)
Solid Wood Framed Mirror – $2.50 – Local Thrift Store
Black Geometric King Size Sham – 50 cents – Local Thrift Store
Light Pink Pillow Sham – 50 cents – Local Thrift Store
Rose Pink Pillow Sham – Free (already owned)
Black and White Tassled Pillow Cover – $1.50, so 75 cents – Local Thrift Store
Light Green Striped Throw – Free (already owned)
Hanging Wall Tapestry – Free (already owned)
Bedside Decor Items – Free (already owned)
Total: $25.25 (technically, I went 25 cents over budget, but I stole that quarter from my daughter’s Piggy Bank, so it doesn’t count)

Update No. 2 – Make Do With (Mostly) Whatcha Got
Headboard – $15 – Craigslist (originally brass, spray painted black using spray paint I already owned)
Bedside Table – $10 for two, so $5 – Craigslist
Framed Watercolor – Free (already owned)
Black Geometric King Size Sham – 50 cents – Local Thrift Store
Light Pink Pillow Sham – 50 cents – Local Thrift Store
Rose Pink Pillow Sham – Free (already owned)
Black and White Tassled Pillow Cover – $1.50, so 75 cents – Local Thrift Store
Light Green Striped Throw – Free (already owned)
Hanging Wall Tapestry – Free (already owned)
Bedside Decor Items – Free (already owned)
Total: $21.75 (ha! See? I made up the difference from my budget woes and then some!)

Seriously. If you’re not shopping second-hand, you’re missing out on some great decor finds. And you’re not acting much like a designer. They all shop second-hand. 

To find a list of thrift stores in your area, you can visit this directory at The Thrift Shopper. Just enter your zip code and a list of second-hand shops nearby will populate.  

Happy Hunting!
xoxo
Teri

you just do your thing and I’ll be over here, just Grammin’ away
(or you could follow along with me)